Additions made to Cridersville facility

August 17, 2011

The newly built gazebo stands in front of the Cridersville Healthcare Center.

CRIDERSVILLE â€” New outside additions are sprucing up a medical facility in Cridersville.
The Cridersville Healthcare Center recently held an official grand opening event to celebrate its newly built gazebo, awning and fencing.
â€śWe are pleased that our lovely new garden will add to the charming landscape of our community,â€ť said Cridersville Healthcare Center Administrator Albert Parton.
The gazebo, along with the fencing and canopy, were made possible through the generosity of Opal Miller, a resident of The Gardens in Wapakoneta, the sister facility to Cridersville Healthcare Center.
â€śI think sheâ€™s the most remarkable lady,â€ť Parton said.
Miller provided the funding as a way of thanking the staff at Cridersville Healthcare Center, where her mother had been a resident years ago.
The gazebo, along with the newly constructed friendship garden is a place not only the residents of the facility, but also the entire community can enjoy.
The new additions have been added to the front of the building, where two apartment buildings once stood.
â€śWhen I first came here, there were two big apartment buildings in the spot (of the new gazebo),â€ť Parton said. â€śMy dream was to have those taken down.â€ť
The two buildings, which were along Main Street, blocked the front view of the healthcare center, and they were removed from the property in March 2009.
Since the removal, Cridersville Heathcare Center can be seen from Main Street, in Cridersville.
With this newly opened space, Parton knew he wanted to put something nice, with a â€śmid-Americanâ€ť feel to the area.
The plans for the gazebo started in December and were finished in mid-June.
The official ribbon cutting, held on Aug. 8, was to mark the grand opening of the new feature to the campus. A special Garden Party was held, giving community members a chance to check out the new additions.
Parton said they waited to have the official grand opening until August because they wanted the flowers planted there to be in bloom for the event.
Colorful flowers and plants in the friendship garden surround the gazebo, which can be seen from Main Street, as the gazebo stands in front of the healthcare center.
In addition, a canopy was placed above the main entrance to the Cridersville Healthcare Center, with the facilityâ€™s name marked on the front.
All of this was made possibly through the generous donations of Miller.
â€śShe was part of our village for a number of years,â€ť said Cridersville Mayor Lorali Myers. â€śThe improvements in the area are amazing and beautiful. What she (Miller) donated to the facility is amazing.â€ť